


Chilled

by DarthTella



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Partial Nudity, Romance, Short Chapters, bad wolf bay part 2, basically a melting pot of my favourite tropes, except for the last one which is really long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-05-20 03:32:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19369033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthTella/pseuds/DarthTella
Summary: The rain never bothered the Doctor before. But then, he wasn't human before either.





	1. The Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I debated on whether or not I'd post as I went along or when it's finished. It's about halfway finished so far.

Rose stood paralysed as the world narrowed down to only the square indent in the sand where the TARDIS had been only moments before. He was gone. The Doctor was gone! After all she went through to get back to him and she was dumped right back where she started from!

And he didn’t even say ‘goodbye’ this time.

A hand slid into hers, jarring her back into the here and now. The hand was achingly familiar. It was so familiar in fact that her muscle memory kicked in without conscious thought and she brushed her thumb over the one holding her hand. Long slender fingers squeezed gently around hers in response and Rose’s head became unstuck. She looked over and up and found the Doctor gazing down at her.

At least, he called himself the Doctor. He certainly looked like him and his voice was the same – only a bit more brusque at times, reminding her a lot more of Donna. Had the same thin face with fair skin dotted with freckles, the same artfully tousled chestnut hair and sideburns, and (the most startling of all) the same chocolate brown eyes that Rose instantly found herself getting lost in. Except, he was part human only having one heart disabling his ability to regenerate. He’d grow old and die alongside her.

The Doctor was gone, but he was also standing beside her and holding her hand. This one had told her the end of a sentence that was left hanging the last time she stood on that beach: “I love you.” And he meant it, Rose was sure of it. The way he kissed her so ardently left no doubt in her mind.

Unconsciously, she licked her lips as she ran that memory over in her mind, his eyes tracking the movement with his left eyebrow raised. Rose suddenly became aware of what she was doing, and lowered her eyes, her gaze landing somewhere in the middle of his chest. She took in his suit, the one other different thing about him. The brown suit was the one she would always associate with the Doctor, but she had to admit he looked good in blue. It was nearly the same shade of…

Rose blinked. The TARDIS was gone now, and this Doctor was now just as trapped as she was! This thought cracked her heart a little.

“I’ve only got one life, Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you, if you want.”

He sounded so earnest about it, too. This Doctor wanted to be with her despite him knowing he was going to lose the TARDIS, but he would still have her if she wanted to.

And it was her that initiated that kiss after all. It was never all about travelling through time and space that caused her to fall in love with him, it was the time spent with him. She adored the travelling, yes, but the quiet moments spent just being in his company made it all worth it.

“Doctor.” His hand went slack in hers. At the realisation that he thought she was calling out to his Time Lord counterpart, Rose’s eyes slid closed. Taking a deep breath, she fixed her gaze intently on his face once more. His expression was carefully blank – a mask he had spent centuries perfecting – but she could still see the hurt there. Reaching out with her free hand, Rose touched the side of his face, feeling the muscles in his jaw twitch as she gently cupped his cheek.

“My Doctor.” She smiled at him. He stared down at her with a somewhat dubious expression on his face.

“You don’t think he just dumped you with some sort of cheap duplicate, then?” His tone was light, but Rose could hear the vulnerability in his voice – the need to be accepted.

“You’re not quite what I expected, and I don’t quite understand where you came from. But that doesn’t matter. I just know. And yeah, I didn’t want to be left here again…” The Doctor dropped his gaze from hers.

“You’d rather be back on the TARDIS.” His voice was bitter.

“So do you.” She countered softly and his eyes snapped back to hers. Rose took a half step forwards and whispered: “But stuck with you. It’s not so bad.”

“Rose.” He sobbed out her name as he grabbed her in a crushing hug, his arms wound tightly around her lifting her up off the ground. He was trembling slightly, and Rose could feel his single heart beating wildly fast. The tension left his body all at once as he set her back down on her feet. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and held on just as tightly as she could, their bodies moulding together just like they always had. Taking a deep breath in through her nose, Rose detected the smell of chalk dust, boiled sweets, lime and diesel, a scent that was uniquely his. She buried her nose into the crook of his neck and pressed light kisses to the skin she found there. This was something she never dared do before. Oh, she thought about it quite a bit, but was always afraid of what his reaction might be. For all their flirting, their physical relationship never really got past hugs and hand holding. Now she had a clear idea of just how much he was holding back.

A sound somewhere between a purr or a growl was torn from his throat and he pulled back slightly, but only to cover her mouth with his own.

Most coherent thought had fled Rose’s mind at that point, but one tiny little corner of it was jumping up and down in pure glee that this kissing thing was sure to be a permanent addition to their relationship. And the Doctor wasn’t half bad at it either. He suckled at her top lip, then her bottom. His tongue swept over the seal of her lips begging for entrance and Rose eagerly complied. She buried her hands in his hair as he fisted the back of her jacket as their tongues began to dance. Her legs turned to jelly when his other hand dropped to her waist, his fingers making their way up her spine and worming their way under her shirt but he didn’t let her fall. It was as if the two of them were trying to occupy the same space at the same time.

“OI! You two forgetting that I’m still ‘ere!” A shrill voice broke through and pierced their little bubble. The Doctor grunted in frustration as he pulled back, his breath coming out as sharp pants. Rose didn’t even have to turn around to know her mother was standing not ten feet away with her hands on her hips. She stifled the giggle that tried to make its way up her throat thinking of the absurdity of it all. Wasn’t her mother’s reunion with Pete just as passionate? And they did end up with Tony not long after.

“Jackie Tyler, such a killjoy…” The Doctor sighed dramatically and Rose couldn’t contain her laughter any longer. Ignoring Jackie’s outraged shout, Rose raised herself up on tiptoe and briefly kissed the corner of his mouth before turning to face her mother, chuckling when his lips tried to chase hers.

“I heard that. You can snog each others brains out later - just not in front of me thank you very much - but for now I think we should get off this beach. It’s freezin’ an’ I don’t like the look of those clouds.” Rose followed Jackie’s gaze out over the horizon and saw ominous black clouds on the horizon that were threatening to block out the sun.

“Those are still miles off, we got plenty of time to get to where we’re going.” The Doctor scoffed.


	2. The Storm

Not two minutes later, the rain started. It wasn’t just a light drizzle either, the heavens opened and the entirety of Earth’s water supply was being dumped on them. At least that’s what it felt like as the Doctor cursed this new body of his.

Well, okay. Even with it’s pitiful single heart, this body wasn’t so bad. He liked his respiratory bypass (as much as you could like an autonomous bodily function), but that light-headed feeling he got while kissing Rose was phenomenal. He idly wondered when he could feel that again. Obviously they had to ditch Jackie first.

A big fat raindrop splashed onto the end of his nose, bringing him back to the present. His fringe was sticking to his forehead, funnelling more water down into his eyes. He tried to sweep it back, but it just flopped back down. It still really annoyed him, but his hand was so cold. He stuffed it back into his trouser pocket that held many different treasures and gadgets, but annoyingly no gloves or umbrella. Not even the one with the neat question mark handle. Even without those things, getting wet was no big deal before. He could just raise his body temperature so stave off the damp chill. Now though…

He wondered if his teeth were going to break due to all the shivering he was doing. They never did feel quite right in his mouth, but he had gotten used to them and he was determined to keep them.

A particularly violent shiver overtook him and he was finally forced to let go of Rose’s hand as the instinct to hug himself to stave off the cold became too hard to ignore. Not like it worked anyway. This single heart was nearly useless in its ability to pump warm blood through his body. He felt as frozen as a Palooovian ice sculpture. He figured he needed the ten thousand years it took to defrost one of those too. Not that he would last that long with this shortened lifespan.

He focused on trying to put one foot ahead of another following Rose and Jackie towards the small inn they knew of close by. But he just felt so stiff and sluggish. Still, not far now.

He hoped.

“You okay?” It took him a moment to realise Rose had stopped walking and was staring at him with concerned eyes. He nodded.

“I’m p-p-perfect-t-ly f-fine.” The furrow in Rose’s brow grew deeper.

“No, you’re not.” She countered. Another violent shiver overtook him before he could argue further. And why did the world turn black all of a sudden? He wrenched his eyes back open, but it was a losing battle. Fatigue was hitting him like a freight train. The cold coupled with the fact that he had zero food intake in this body yet was starting to get to him. Still he could fight this, he would keep walking beside Rose letting her lead the way towards shelter.

He stumbled over his feet as he fell face first into the sand. Rose let out a cry as she dropped to her knees beside him. He wanted to tell her that he was fine, just a bit tired. A nap in the sand actually didn’t sound like a half bad idea at the moment.

‘ _Oi, Dumbo. What are you doin’ lying about?’_

The voice in his head startled him a bit. It certainly wasn’t his, but at the same time it was an integral part of his psyche he didn’t have before. Of course he’d have Donna Noble running commentary in his head. She got his mind, it was only natural he’d get a portion of hers. At least some part of her would survive after all.

But he still couldn’t find the energy to move.

‘ _Are you thick or what? You’ve already scared Rose half to death once today! Now get off your skinny backside and survive!’_

“So c-c-cold.” The Doctor muttered, not sure if he was really saying anything. He felt Rose rolling him over, and he did his best to help. With great effort he opened his eyes, and forced himself to speak, “C-can’t r-regul-lat-te…” He gave up halfway, but she got the idea as she added: “You can’t warm yourself up any more.” He found the strength to nod. Rose turned towards her Jackie and told her to go on ahead and get their rooms reserved. The older woman looked hesitant to go for a moment, but then she ran off.

Rose sat him up and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and on the count of three the Doctor found himself back on his feet. Well, on the second try at least. They stumbled a moment, as the world spun around him.

‘ _Easy does it, Spaceman.'_ Donna's internal dialogue sounded softer this time. The Doctor found his feet and let Rose lead the way.

If it was anyone else but Rose, he would’ve been embarrassed beyond measure. The last of the Time Lords – no scratch that – the first biological Metacrisis succumbing to hypothermia? Well, okay, it wasn’t that far of a stretch. Human bodies were pretty much rubbish when it came to anything. He just hoped this body would’ve lasted a lot longer.

“Stop it.” Rose admonished softly. He quirked his eyebrow at her, or tried to at any rate. His face was too numb to tell. “I know when you’re brooding. You’re not gonna die. The inn’s just over his hill. You’ll be warmed up in no time. I’m not gonna lose you yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is coming soon. I have it planned out but I just need to find the time to actually write it.


	3. Shelter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN UPDATED!
> 
> I realised part of it had terrible pacing so I went back into fix it. It doesn't change much when it comes to the story, but more fluff is a good thing right?

It was slow going, but finally the Doctor and Rose met up with Jackie at the front door of the inn. While the Doctor had been able to walk a bit on his own at first, Rose was now practically dragging him along. Jackie helped bundle him inside. After a short argument with the staff about whether or not they should take him to a hospital, they helped the Doctor up a short flight of stairs and into one of the rooms. Jackie had already draped a towel over the end of the bed, so they lowered the Doctor down on it. The warmer air must have already been helping as he was able to sit up on his own, but he was still shivering.

“Mum, why don’t you go get us something to eat?” Rose suggested, nudging Jackie out of the way so she could start removing the Doctor’s shoes and socks. She couldn’t suppress a smile when she noticed they were the socks with the little banana’s embroidered on them. They were bought as a prank gift, but he loved them so much. She would never forget the way his eyes just lit up when he saw them. The memory of him prancing around the TARDIS in them always put a smile on her face, even in her darker days. He wiggled his toes at her.

“I’ll be right back." Jackie said softly from where she was standing near the door. Rose looked up at her mother, and nodded with a grateful smile on her face. Rose knew her mother was just itching to help take care of the Doctor, but Jackie also seemed to understand that they needed time to work out the situation they had been thrust into.

Rose bit her lip as she looked back towards the Doctor. She knew what needed to be done, but the fact that he would be awake for it this time gave her a bit of pause. She took a deep breath, and braced herself.

“We gotta get you out of those clothes.” She couldn’t look him in the eyes while saying it. A terry-cloth robe was hanging nearby and Rose walked over to collect it, removing her own leather jacket and hanging it on the now empty hook. She grabbed a hair tie from her pocket and swept her still dripping hair into a ponytail. She knew she was stalling slightly, but this whole situation was causing butterflies to take up residence in her belly. She caught the Doctor’s eyes reflected in the mirrored doors of the closet. He looked just as nervous as she felt, but he nodded and started on his jacket buttons. His movements were a bit clumsy and he was having trouble gripping the buttons properly. Rose knelt down in front of him and began to help, her fingers brushing against his along the way. They were still as cold as ice. She took both his hands between hers and began to rub some heat back into them. Slowly but surely, they began to warm up, and Rose pressed a kiss to each of his hands before letting them go.

The jacket was removed, only getting stuck slightly halfway down his arms due to the way the fabric just soaked up the rainwater. Rose’s face heated up when she realised they may have the same problem with his trousers.

She took hold of the hem of his t-shirt and began to pull upwards. The Doctor was able to help her somewhat, but Rose could tell it was taking tremendous effort on his part to lift his arms. She dropped the shirt on top of his discarded jacket with one hand while the other rested on his shoulder a minute before moving down to place her palm against his chest. She felt his heartbeat, strong and true.

“Doesn’t feel right.” He whispered. Rose startled slightly, not even realising her eyes had been roving over his exposed flesh or that she'd been idly playing with his sparse chest hair.

“One heat. It just doesn't…” his voice broke. Rose shushed him softly.

“Anything I can do to help?” She asked. The Doctor placed his hand over hers.

“Just having you here is enough.” Their eyes met again, and the Doctor smiled at her. Rose leaned in and kissed him softly. The coldness of his lips reminded her she still needed to get him warmed up so she kept it brief and chaste. She helped him into the thick fluffy robe and picked up another towel getting to work on drying his hair. It stuck out at every angle imaginable. Rose giggled as she playfully tried to style it into a Mohawk, but his hair was becoming too fluffy for it to work properly. He caught onto what she was trying to do and broke into giggles himself.

Rose had missed that sound. His laugh had this high-pitched sort of feminine quality to it and was one of the most infectious things she’d ever heard. She adored it so much and hoped she'd get to hear it every day.

“I love you.” It just occurred to her that she hadn’t told him that yet, and Rose wanted to make sure he knew it. His grin, which was already threatening to split his face in two, grew even wider. He held his arms open and Rose stepped into his embrace. Him being seated gave her a height advantage, so she cradled his head against her sternum and pressed kisses into his hair. His breath seemed to stutter slightly when her lips brushed his temple and Rose suddenly remembered something he had told her long ago. Time Lords were touch telepaths, and their temples were one of their strongest receptors. She placed a lingering kiss there, concentrating on projecting her feeling towards him. She knew she had been successful when he held her even tighter. But despite their warm embrace he was still shivering slightly. Rose blushed when she remembered there was one more article of wet clothing that needed to be removed. She pulled back slightly and gave him a shy smile.

“So, uh…” Oh, this was going to be awkward. “You’re wearing pants, right?”

“I was in a bit of a hurry earlier, but yes.” Rose had never seen the Doctor blush before. It was adorable as it made his freckles stand out even more. They shared a nervous laugh, and before she could think twice, Rose reached for the button of his trousers and quickly undid it along with the fly. She took hold of the waistband and started to tug, careful not to bring his pants down too. The Doctor lifted his hips to help her a bit and Rose reached around him to pull from the back.

Their eyes met again, and Rose saw a look in his eyes that she had never seen before. It stirred something inside her she hadn’t felt for a long time.

“I hope this tea is okay, they didn’t seem to have… the hell are you two doing?” Jackie boomed causing them to spring apart, Rose falling back awkwardly on her bum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I'm not sorry. Jackie just has that kind of timing.
> 
> There should be one more chapter to go!


	4. The Rain Against the Windows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be one more chapter after this one. I planned on only four but this chapter got away from me and I had to break it up.

Complete and total mortification wasn’t a feeling the Doctor experienced often. After traveling around the universe for over nine-hundred years, he’d been in all sorts of situations that involved various amounts of nudity so nothing really phazed him anymore. But right at this moment it was the only thing he could he could feel. The sensual little bubble he and Rose just found themselves in was well and truly popped by Jackie. The situation was still as innocent as it could have been, despite what all these new and confusing hormones were telling him. Being disrobed was necessary if he didn’t want to catch pneumonia or some other equally nasty human sickness.

After a long breathless moment, Jackie just tisked as she entered the room fully. She placed what appeared to be a take-out bag and a tray of paper cups down onto the bureau, and stepped in front of the Doctor. Suddenly he found himself pushed flat on his back and was barely able to maintain his dignity (what little of it he had left, anyway) as Jackie whipped his trousers off in one quick tug.

He couldn’t hear much beyond the rush of blood in his ears, but he was still able to hear Jackie say to Rose, “Look, I know you’re happy to see him again, but now’s really not the time for that sorta thing. Save it for when he’s better, yeah?” 

Perhaps it was the adrenaline or just the need to feel covered up around Jackie, but the Doctor quickly buried himself under the duvet, going so far as to pulling it up right over his head. This was it. This was how he was going to die: complete embarrassment by Jackie Tyler.

And it didn’t help at all that the Donna bit of his brain was laughing hysterically at him. He hoped he’d eventually find a mute button for that portion of his psyche. At least he was getting warmer now. Whether that was due to the thick duvet he covered himself up with or the involuntary flush that had come over his body in the last couple of minutes was up for debate.

Curled up inside his little cocoon, the Doctor must have dozed off. He hadn’t meant to, and he was actually surprised he could fall asleep at all given the tense atmosphere in this tiny hotel room. Side effect of being human probably. They did spend about half their lives asleep, or so it seemed. He mentally checked off sleeping as yet another thing that he would have to get used to. 

All he knew was that at one moment he could hear Rose and Jackie arguing then the next thing he knew something was gently shaking his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open slowly, but could see nothing. Then he remembered the duvet and carefully lifted it off his head revealing Rose’s slightly amused face.

Oh, he wished that was something he got to see every time he woke up from now on. Suddenly sleeping every night didn't seem so bad. Not if he got to hold her every night. If she wanted to, of course. Didn’t want to come off as a creep or something.

“Don’t worry, she’s gone.” She soothed. Oh, right. They were talking about Jackie. Was this human body always going to get this distracted? The Doctor glanced around the room for a moment and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the room was well and truly Jackie-free.

His eyes landed on her again and he involuntarily gulped when he noticed that she was also only wearing a robe. It made sense, really. She was caught out in that rain too and she couldn’t have been comfortable in her own wet clothing. A blush stole over her cheeks as she caught onto his gaze, and the Doctor quickly noticed that it was becoming a full body blush as it extended down her neck and further down towards her--

_ FOCUS, DOCTOR! _

A paper cup entered his line of vision as the scent of tea hit his nose. Grateful for the distraction (those hormones were going to be a right pain, he just knew it) he sat himself up against the headboard and accepted the cup. Warmth spread through his hands as he held the cup up to his face. He took a moment to inhale all those free radicals and tannins, the scent bringing him right back to the last time tea was the key to his healing process. He took a sip and a wave of sudden emotion came over him.

To anyone else, the taste of tea that had several spoons of sugar in it would have been a bit repulsive and would probably send them into a diabetic coma with the amount he liked in it. But to him it was just perfect. It was a little thing, but Jackie remembering exactly how he took his tea warmed his hearts - no, heart. Singular.

That was going to take some getting used to. The feeling of only one heartbeat in his chest was strange and frankly unsettling. He wondered if it would ever feel normal.

The bed was jostled slightly as Rose settled herself beside him. A plastic bag was placed between them and she pulled out two sandwiches, handing one over to him.

“Mum and I found this little café... last time,” Her voice faltered. He reached over and took his food, his fingers covering hers for a long moment. She didn’t have to elaborate on what she meant by ‘last time’. That would be a day that would be etched into his memory for the rest of his lives - dammit - life.

“Sorry, I never wanted you to have to relive all of this.” He focused on the sandwich in his hand. Cheese and pickle the label said. The bread looked quite fancy, probably baked in small batches. It was nice that Jackie remembered even what kind of sandwiches he liked. 

He was distracting himself again, he knew that. He wasn't lying to Rose when he told her that he had the same thoughts as the Doctor, but there was this very subtle shift in his personality. He acted more like Donna now. His emotions were more intense and he seemed to have a harder time controlling them now. At the moment, looking Rose in the eye was a very daunting task.

He knew his other self was going to take him back here the moment they all piled back into the TARDIS to tow the Earth back to its original position. He didn’t have a place on that ship, despite it being his home for nearly nine hundred years. Two Doctors wouldn’t have worked. There would have been constant bickering and vying for Rose’s attention, plus the Time Lord couldn’t look at him without this absolute loathing in his eyes. Perhaps he was just jealous that he couldn’t keep Rose. Not that she was anyone’s property, mind.

And then there was Donna. His heart sank even further when he thought about what the Metacrisis had done to her. He was certain that her memories were wiped by now. The other Doctor wouldn’t have just let her burn. Both Donna and Rose were just thrown back into their previous lives without even being asked if it’s something they wanted. And of course if they had been given a choice they would have chosen to stay on the TARDIS, not with a freakshow that looked just like the Doctor and was burdened with almost a millenia worth of memories and…

“It’s not your fault.” Rose cut through his dark thoughts. The Doctor shook his head.

“Isn’t it? If I hadn’t popped out of that jar you would be --”

“Dead.” That single word snapped his gaze back to hers. He expected her eyes to be accusing, but they were soft. Rose pulled the still wrapped sandwich out of his hand and replaced it with hers. His fingers curled around hers in a move so natural it almost unnerved him in that moment. Was he really so deserving of her?

“Doctor, if you hadn’t shown up, Davros would have detonated the reality bomb. Nothing would have survived. Every single universe would have collapsed! You saved us all.” A smile curved her lips as she spoke, and he couldn’t help but smile slightly in return.

“Donna helped a bit.” He conceded, a part of his mind suddenly feeling a bit smug.

“Because you gave her that knowledge.” The smile that spread across the Doctor’s face dissipated. Rose blinked at him in confusion. Damn her ability to always read his moods like that. “What’s wrong?”

It was at times like this that the Doctor would have deflected the question and started to ramble a mile a minute about anything and everything. Now he couldn’t. He wanted to sheild this truth from Rose for as long as possible. Maybe once he wormed his way back into her heart she would have a harder time rejecting him over this.    

But the words just tumbled out of his mouth.

"Donna's gone." Rose went very still. "The Metacrisis, it gave her a Time Lord consciousness. The human brain is not designed to handle that much information. The Doctor, he would have had to remove all knowledge of our time together, of me, um, him, both of us. She would just have to go back to being the Donna Noble she was before she met me."

Rose's hand slipped from his and all the air seemed to be squeezed out of his lungs. This was it, the moment he'd be chucked out of Rose's life once and for all.

He was just about to get up and leave. He wouldn’t say anything else or even look in her direction. He'd grab his wet clothes and just go. Where he would go, he had no idea, but when did he ever go by any sort of plan? But it was a little hard to get up and leave with Rose holding him like he was the most precious thing in the universe. He buried his face in her shoulder as she smoothed back his hair. His arms found their way around her and he held her tight.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered to him. Something about those two words cracked something inside him and the tears flowed freely. Donna wasn’t dead, but she may as well have been.

_ I’m always with you, Spaceman. _

The Doctor jolted slightly and Rose pulled away from him a little with a concerned expression on her face. Donna’s voice in his mind had startled him each and every time as it was always just his own. Well, all his previous voices would sometimes join in and…

“That’s it!” He exclaimed hurriedly wiping the tears from his face. At Rose’s extremely confused blink he continued, “The DoctorDonna!” Rose still looked lost, “Rose, promise me you won’t think I’m completely barmy.”

“Bit of a tall order there.” She cracked a smile. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He walked straight into that one.

“Remember every time we’ve used telepathy? You always said my voice sounded strange in your head.”

“Yeah. You told me those were your past voices joining in with yours.” Rose was adorable with her nose scrunched like that. Then her eyes went wide in realisation, “The DoctorDonna! Her voice is there too!” The Doctor nodded his head excitedly.

“I didn’t start hearing it right away. It was only after we arrived here I noticed her. She’s a bit chattier than the rest, but that’s Donna for you.”

“So she’s living on inside you.” Rose was smiling again.

“Oh yes!” He punched the air. They grinned like idiots at each other for a long moment, then the mood abruptly changed when the Doctor’s stomach made a noise he had never heard it make before; this rumbly gurgle that sounded like a contented Slitheen. The thought made him slightly nauseous. Or was it the hunger? He very rarely felt hungry except after regenerating, which he supposed he did today. Sort of. Was that him or the other him? His memory got fuzzy after that bloomin’ Dalek took a pot shot at him.

Rose held his sandwich out to him again and he eagerly grabbed it. The cling wrap gave him a bit of a hard time as it stuck to itself instead of coming off his food, but eventually he got there and he took a large bite.

Bits of semi-chewed bread, cheese and pickles were spat across the room as a flavour that was far worse than pears burst onto his tastebuds. Rose rubbed his back as he sputtered and gagged. Then he realised that more than just Donna’s personality was transferred to him.

“Pickles! Donna hates pickles! Oh, why did it have to be pickles? I loved pickles!” The Doctor ranted. Rose graciously traded him her pickle-free egg salad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole thing about all the Doctor's previous voices in his head overlapping is my own headcanon. Also, yes I know in Flight into Hull Jackie said that Tentoo hated gherkins instead of pickles (there is a difference apparently) but they taste similar enough to me so I'm sure he'd hate both. Why I don't know. They're delicious. Pears are gross.


	5. The Sun Shines Bright Once More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the final chapter. And it's a big one, literally half the length of the other chapters combined!
> 
> Enjoy!

Although it was only mid-afternoon Rose found herself absolutely exhausted. That was nothing particularly new. It was pretty much her constant state of being. She barely had any time to actually relax and recharge over the past several months of hopping through dimensions. It seemed like the days where she could just sleep for twelve hours in a row were far behind her. Plus, the sound of rain softly hitting the window was slowly putting her to sleep. The Doctor probably had a good explanation as to why that was - probably something to do with certain frequencies or whatever - but he looked about as exhausted as she felt and he had gone a bit quiet.

He had always seemed to have this abundance of energy. Rose couldn’t count the number of times he tried to wake her at some ungodly hour so they could go on some sort of adventure. She may have complained about it back then, but then he’d pout at her and Rose could never resist those big brown eyes of his or the way he’d hold his hand out to her as he wiggled his fingers.

She desperately missed that. Hopefully he'd be back to those sort of antics soon.

It somehow made it easier for her to compare this current situation to what it was like when he had first regenerated on her. The Doctor didn’t seem to be that sick this time around - his brush with hypothermia notwithstanding. Luckily he didn’t fall into a coma this time. Rose didn’t know what she would have done if that had happened again.

Some colour had returned to his cheeks since they got him warmed up and he had something to eat, but his face still appeared a bit gaunt. Even his hair looked tired. Then he did something that he had never done before.

He yawned. A great big jaw-cracking yawn that made his eyes water.

The Doctor’s reaction to this was something Rose would never forget. He just sat there wide-eyed for a moment in utter bemusement, then he ran his hands over his face as he groaned in annoyance.

“Oh, brilliant.” He groused. “Needing the loo after drinking all that tea was bad enough, now I have to suffer this indignity too? I mean there’s absolutely zero reason to yawn, well, aside from forcibly telling everyone around you that you’re tired. That's not even mentioning it being absolutely contagious." At this point, Rose couldn't keep her own yawn at bay. "See you just proved my point!"

Rose bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. Suddenly being human was something completely new for the Doctor, she thought. It was probably best to not let him think she was making fun of him. But Rose never had the best poker face. The Doctor narrowed his eyes and glared at her. She knew him well enough to not be intimidated by him. His poker face wasn’t as good as he thought it was either, at least when he tried to fool her so she glared right back, her face just as serious. 

Five seconds later, they were flat on their backs on the mattress laughing like a couple of lunatics. Laughter didn’t stop another yawn from overtaking the Doctor, however. He shook his head and rolled onto his side to face Rose.

“But seriously, how  _ do _ you deal with having to sleep every night?”  Rose shrugged her shoulder in response, trying desperately to keep her smile from slipping. Insomnia was the monster she’d been battling for so long now. Sleep had only been coming from collapsing from pure exhaustion or medication that barely worked. It was also a fact that Rose also absolutely detested anyone fussing over her, so she did her best to make it appear that everything was fine. The amount of concealer she used to hide the dark circles under her eyes lately belied that notion completely. Only her mother and Mickey had seen right through her ruse, but kept their mouths shut for the sake of the Dimension Cannon project while providing her support whenever she needed it.

The Doctor cupped her cheek gently, and it was then Rose noticed her eyes had dropped from his face. Her eyes snapped back to his, and the look of concern on his face made it clear that she couldn’t hide anything from him either. She never could.

“When was the last time you slept?  _ Properly _ slept?” His words were blunt, but his voice was gentle. His thumb skimmed lightly along the skin under her eye, and she knew the makeup didn’t fool him either. The rain probably washed most of it off anyway.

“I suppose twenty minute kips under my desk technically count as sleeping.” Rose chuckled. The Doctor just shook his head at her, although his mouth did curl into a small smile.

“If anyone deserves a good night’s sleep it’s you, Rose Tyler.” The sheer amount of adoration in his voice melted her heart a little. She couldn’t help but nuzzle his hand as he tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear. As tired as she was, she was hoping this wasn’t just another cruel dream her subconscious loved to torment her with. Any moment now, that metaphorical bucket of cold water would be thrown over her head and she’d be jolted back into reality. 

And that was exactly what happened. 

It just happened in a way she never would have expected.

“But if you for one moment think I’m going to sleep next to someone with pickle-breath, you’ve got another thing coming.” The Doctor deadpanned, but smiled right after to let her know he was kidding. But that didn’t stop Rose's jaw from dropping. That Donna part of him didn’t lie far under the surface it seemed. He poked her shoulder. “Go on, up you get! Allons-y! Go brush those teeth of yours so I can give you a proper goodnight kiss, even though it’s still the middle of the day, but never mind that. Go, go, go!”

Rose dissolved into laughter once again. That sounded more like the Doctor she knew and loved. If there were any doubts this half human man beside her was her Doctor, they were well and truly crushed. True, he never openly admitted he wanted to kiss her before, but this wasn’t a change she was going to argue with. Besides he was bloody good at it. The fact that he must have honed that skill somewhere during his long life wasn't something she wanted to dwell on as she heaved herself off the bed and padded over to the en-suite.

“You need to clean your teeth too, you know.” Rose smiled at him as she brandished one of the supplied toothbrushes. “Egg salad breath isn’t attractive either.”

“I know,” The Doctor countered,“I swear Jackie got those sandwiches on purpose just to mess with us! But before I take part in this completely and utterly human ritual, there’s something I need to take care of first.”

“And that is?” She pressed. The Doctor shot her an impish smile as he stood up and walked over to where his suit jacket was hung neatly over a nearby chair to dry. He reached inside and to her astonishment retrieved the sonic screwdriver from the inside pocket. “I always have a back up. Though it may take  _ him _ a bit to realise he has to go find it.”

“You nicked the sonic?” Rose was more amused than anything. The sonic was just as much his as it was the Time Lord’s. He seemed to be grateful for her non-accusing attitude and he winked at her. He then put his hand back into his pocket and began fishing for something else.

“Grabbed these too!” Rose’s breath hitched when he slid his brainy specs onto his face. Even with the limp hair and gaunt face, those glasses never failed to make him look impossibly more attractive. It took her a moment to realise the Doctor had begun speaking again, “Thought I’d use the sonic to at least dry our shirts off. Sleeping in these robes wouldn’t be the most comfortable thing to do. I mean, I could sleep without one. I prefer it, actually. Did it whenever I actually went for a full night’s sleep. But I don’t want to seem like I’m pressuring you into anything being half naked and all that. I mean I know humans and your one track minds. Not to say  _ you’re _ always thinking about it. You’re no Jack Harkness, that’s for sure. I’m not trying to insinuate anything. And I love you, I really, really do, but I don’t think I’m - you know - ready for, for  _ that _ , if you get my meaning. Even if I have joined the human club, with all it’s confusing hormones and...”

“It’s alright.” She told him softly, cutting off his nervous babbling. The Doctor relaxed marginally, even though his face was still beet red.

"Really?" He squeaked as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Yeah. I’m okay with waiting.” She worried the cuffs of her robe in total disbelief they were having this conversation. They smiled softly at each other and the tension seemed to drain out of the room as they went about their tasks. It took the Doctor practically no time at all to dry their shirts off, and soon they were standing side by side in front of the bathroom sink brushing their teeth. The situation was incredibly domestic, a thing her leather clad Doctor often balked at. But now, it just felt so right. Rose gazed at their reflections in the mirror and smiled around her toothbrush, chuckling at the sight of toothpaste dribbling down the Doctor’s chin. It just made her fall in love with him even more.

The Doctor gave Rose a bit of privacy so she could change back into her shirt, if turning around and promising not to look counted as such. Although soon she predicted that they would be comfortable enough in each other’s presence that little things like dressing in front of one another would matter. Sleeping in just t-shirts and pants was probably intimate enough for the moment if what the Doctor said before was anything to go by. She wasn’t lying when she said she was okay with waiting. She just hoped it wouldn’t be a long wait. Still, she knew first hand what it was like to be pressured into doing something she wasn’t completely ready for. Jimmy Stone didn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘patience’, or ‘gentleness’ for that matter.

She shoved those thoughts away. Even a time traveller like Rose knew when to leave things in the past where they belong. Now it was time for her to focus on the future with someone she knew loved her.

Rose placed her hand gently on the Doctor’s shoulder, a signal to let him know it was safe for him to turn back around. He spun around slowly, pulling her into a hug when he turned completely. He at last felt warm to the touch, fully recovered from the chill that overcame him earlier and then some. She had grown accustomed to the Doctor’s naturally lower body temperature, but she knew it wouldn’t be long for her to get used to these warmer hugs. He felt the same otherwise, save for the single heartbeat. It still felt like two in the way he held her so tightly. She hoped that sensation also helped him cope with the loss of his right heart.

Rose felt herself becoming more drowsy the longer he held her, especially since he’d been rocking her gently from side to side.

“I seem to remember you promising me something.” Rose reluctantly pulled herself away from him so she could see his face properly.

“Oh?” He quirked his eyebrow knowingly, “Did I?” So that’s how he wanted to play it, cheeky devil.

“Mmmhm. You made me brush my teeth before you agreed to give me it.” She felt his breath hitch as she began to idly play with the short hairs on the back of his neck. He closed some distance between them as he rested his forehead against hers.

“Well, clean teeth are important. Wouldn’t want you to loose your dazzling smile.” The tip of his nose brushed against the bridge of hers while his mouth was still a frustrating distance away.

“It’s quite rude of you to not keep your promise.”

“That’s me. Rude and not ginger.” He chuckled. Then he lowered his voice to a near whisper as he brought his mouth close enough that his lips brushed hers as he spoke, “And it’s a bit presumptuous of you to assume I’m not going to deliver on my promise.”

Finally, he kissed her. Just a gentle press of lips at first, but slowly he began to deepen the kiss. Rose completely melted into it allowing him to set the pace and for the world to drop away around them. The need for air became an issue for both of them and they broke apart gasping for breath. Despite the fact he was out of breath the Doctor pressed light kisses all over her face as he repeatedly said something in a strange lilting tone each time. Whatever he was saying, it wasn’t in any language she heard before, but she had a feeling she knew which it was.

“What does that mean?” She asked. The Doctor stilled for a moment, his lips still lightly pressed against her forehead.

“There’s no direct translation. The phrase makes absolutely no sense in English.”

“Always knew you were talking nonsense.” Rose couldn’t resist teasing him. The Doctor fondly shook his head at her as took a step back, guided her towards the bed and quickly climbed in. He gathered her back into his arms and Rose wasted no time cuddling up to him using his chest as her pillow.

“As I was saying before I was oh so rudely interrupted: your language doesn’t have the words, and the TARDIS can’t…” he cut himself off abruptly and held her even tighter. The loss of the TARDIS was still such a fresh wound that Rose knew would take a long time to heal. She hoped that little chunk of coral the Time Lord handed over would successfully grow and flourish. The Doctor swallowed before continuing, “It’s an ancient Gallifreyan promise to remain loyal to their bondmate to the end of time. Basically, our version of ‘I love you’.”

“Say it again.” Rose requested around a yawn and the Doctor dutifully repeated the phrase in his mother tongue. She tried to copy it but found the words difficult to say. He gently corrected her, slowing down and breaking down each word and syllable for her. It took several attempts, but she finally said it correctly.

“I love you too.” The Doctor sighed sleepily into her hair, and that’s the last thing Rose heard before she fell asleep in his arms.

Outside, the rain had finally stopped and the clouds parted allowing the sun to shine bright.


End file.
